Programme for 2020

This discusses the creative genius and craftsmanship that enabled the poster to become the world’s first great tool of mass communication.

30 March 2020The Renaissance, between Italy and the Low CountriesKathleen Olive

Northern art had impacted the Italians since the first decades of the 15th century, and the connecting trade route ensured an exchange of luxury objects as well as ideas. The painting techniques of Flemish artists revolutionised art in Italy.

In 1765, Samuel Johnson, was introduced to a wealthy brewer, Henry Thrale, and his witty young Welsh-born wife, Hester. Their friendship would last 18 years but when Henry died and Hester remarried an Italian musician, London society and Johnson never forgave her.

1 June 2020Mysteries of the Merman’s Pool: Sculpture in LandscapeGeoffrey Edwards

An account of the purpose and placement of sculpture – ancient, historical and contemporary – in landscapes and gardens, both public and private, with reference also to the emergence of the modern phenomenon of the institutional sculpture garden.

13 July 2020Aeschylus: A Soldier in SocietyGiles Ramsay

500 years before the birth of Christ, in Athens, a golden age of politics and poetry coincided to celebrate and reflect upon the extraordinary development of Democracy. Aeschylus chronicled the events which have never again seen the arts and politics so closely aligned.

10 August 2020Art Nouveau Architecture Around the WorldIan Gledhill

This lecture looks at the influence that Art Nouveau style had on architecture around the world, and how countries adapted the style to suit their own artistic tastes. The city with more Art Nouveau buildings than any other is Riga in Latvia, where carved stone is much more prominent than the fantastical iron shapes found in Belgium or France.

7 September 2020Edvard Munch: The Man Behind the MadnessBrian Healy

Although known worldwide for his painting ‘The Scream’, few people know its long and tortuous prelude, nor its surprising aftermath. Munch was haunted by disease and death and fuelled by alcohol and raging obsession. This lecture sheds light on this Norwegian artist, and why his work became so central to the European expressionism and symbolist movements.

5 October 2020The Eastern Influence in European JewelleryPatricia Law

The influence of the East on European jewellery pervades in all its aspects. Gemstones were traded and exported to Europe, and with them came influences on styles and the way that jewellery was worn.

9 November 2020Mirka and Georges: A Culinary Affair

Arriving in Melbourne from Paris in 1951, Mirka and husband Georges contributed to the sophistication of the city’s arts and restaurant scene. Their celebrated hospitality spread a zest for art, food, love and life.

5.30 Annual General Meeting6.00 Lecture (no morning lecture)

Venue And Time Of Lectures

Lectures are held in the Supper Room at the Geelong West Town Hall, Pakington Street.